


Burnout

by FeelingtheAster99



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Identity Reveal, My First Fanfic, Reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-10-09 07:11:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17402375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeelingtheAster99/pseuds/FeelingtheAster99
Summary: Marinette has been pushing herself harder than ever, both in her personal life and in her exploits as Ladybug. With the efforts she's putting into both her identities, something is bound to give. And give it does. How will she handle unexpected illness when everyone is relying on her? And how will Cat Noir fight crime when his partner is incapacitated?





	1. Even an Everyday Ladybug's Job is Never Done

“Marinette? Marinette??? MARINETTE!”

Marinette jolted awake, abruptly peeling her face from the desk she had fallen asleep on. She mumbled incoherently and attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

“Girl, did you fall asleep while I was mid-sentence?” Alya’s voice demanded from the phone. Marinette simply groaned in response. She lifted her phone only to wince at her friend’s concerned scowl on the video-feed. “What have you been doing, girl? You’re a mess!”

Blinking, Marinette yawned, her mouth involuntary forcing itself open.

“I’m fine,” she insisted halfheartedly.

“You sure don’t look fine.”

Marinette took a deep breath and put more self-assurance in her second answer. “I promise, Alya, I’m okay. I’ve just been busy, that’s all.”

Alya clicked her tongue dubiously. “Busy doing what? Re-creating the Adrien collage on your wall?” Marinette’s face fell, and Alya’s anger eased, but only slightly. “I’m sorry. That was out of line. It’s just… I’m worried about you, girl. You obviously need more rest than you're getting.”

The corners of Marinette’s mouth poked upward into a smile. “You don’t have to worry, Alya. I'm all over it.”

“If you say so.” Loud and chaotic noises sounded from afar on the other line, and Alya whipped her head behind her. Panic flashed on her face. “Got to go, Marinette. The twins somehow got into mom’s secret stash of fancy cooking chocolate. Put that down!” she shouted over her shoulder. The video chat clicked off in an instant.

Marinette felt her consciousness waver, her head itching to sink back down onto the desk.

“She’s right, you know.” Tikki’s angelic voice startled Marinette, snapping her out of her fog. “You need to take better care of yourself.”

Marinette scowled at her, blinking but still conscious enough to cross her arms over her chest in annoyance. “What am I supposed to do, Tikki? There’s been five akumas these past three days alone.” She sighed, holding back sudden, bubbling tears. “What am I supposed to do? I still have to go over these suggestions for improving the class experience as the class representative, and I have so much homework all the time, and I can’t just abandon my friends because of my Ladybug duties. My friends need me too. It wouldn't be very heroic of me, abandoning them.” She stifled a sob, forcing herself to take a deep breath before continuing. “What am I supposed to do?”

Tikki tenderly put her tiny hand to Marinette’s cheek. “Well you need to sleep for one. You’ve barely gotten a wink these past few nights.”

Marinette shrugged away Tikki’s affection, turning to the side and putting her head in her hands. “And when exactly I am supposed to do that?” she muttered dryly.

“Oh, Marinette.” Tikki tentatively flew into Marinette’s gaze. “C’mon, off to bed with you.” She attempted to lead Marinette over to the ladder connected to her bunk.

Marinette hesitated. She wanted _so_ badly to accept Tikki’s comfort and her advice, to just curl up in bed and fall into a blissful sleep. But she knew she couldn’t. With a sigh much heavier than the last, Marinette staggered to a standing position. She walked over to her school bag and aggressively pulled out her assigned work for the night.

“I wish I could do that, Tikki. But I can’t. Too much is expected of me. I can’t let anybody down.” Dutifully, she buried her head in her book and began to read.

“Marinette, you’re not letting anybody down by taking care of yourself.” The kwami rubbed her head nervously, gesturing for Marinette to follow her toward the bed. “You can’t be super all the time.”

Her owner coughed, a violent hacking sound. She looked up, frowning and clearing her throat. “If only. I’m our class’s Everyday Ladybug too.”

“That’s ridiculous. I’m sure Adrien didn’t mean that you should sacrifice sleep in order to satisfy everyone. That is impossible to do,” Tikki chirped in a last-ditch effort to convince her charge to climb into bed. The little kwami patted the bed in encouragement.

In response, Marinette cleared her throat again, waving her friend off and returning to her schoolwork. Tikki sank to the bed dejectedly, frowning but holding her tongue. For now.

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

The morning arrived too early for Marinette. Her alarm buzzed, and reluctantly, ever so slowly, she sat up. Immediately she was hit with a wave of pain stemming from her forehead. She resisted the urge to scream.

“You look terrible, Marinette,” Tikki said, her tiny brows crinkled. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

Unexpectedly, Marinette broke into a coughing fit before she could answer.

“You sound terrible too.”

“I’m fine, Tikki,” she sputtered, trying and somewhat unnervingly failing to breathe. “What time is it?”

“Maybe you should go back bed, Marinette,” Tikki said, skillfully ignoring her question. “You look like you need your rest.”

Marinette dismissed her kwami with a wave of her hand, aggressively breathing through a congested nose and stifling a cough. “With as much school as I miss fulfilling my duty as Ladybug, I can’t afford to miss more class.”

“Oh, Marinette. You’re spreading yourself awfully thin.” The little goddess of creation pulled at her antennae nervously. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to bed?”

Despite the intense pain she was obviously feeling - she was swaying on her feet and rubbing her temples - Marinette insisted she was fine.

Just as she was finished speaking, her mom’s voice called from upstairs. “Marinette! Breakfast! Hurry or you’re going to be late!”

Marinette’s reply came out hoarse and quiet, her throat suddenly becoming sore. “Coming, maman!”

“And, sweetie, don’t forget, your father and I have that baking competition tonight! We’re leaving shortly, we won’t be back until Monday.”

“Okay!” She cleared her throat, trying to get her voice to sound normal again.

After hearing Marinette’s voice crack, the kwami’s concern had deepened. “Marinette-”

“You heard her,” Marinette interrupted somewhat coldly, her fierceness subdued by the sneeze that followed. “Let’s get going!”

“If you’re sure, Marinette…”

The kwami’s warning fell on deaf ears as her owner rushed to get changed and head down the many stairs towards the bakery.

Glancing at the clock, she realized, somewhat thankfully because she was too nauseous to be hungry, she didn’t have time for breakfast. With a quick wave of goodbye towards her parents, Marinette raced out the door, forcing her feet to carry her quickly despite how terrible she was feeling.

“Yo, Marinette!” Nino called to her as she rushed into class, arriving with only a few seconds to spare. As soon as turned to face him, his bright smile faded into a frown. “Dude, you look terrible. What’s up?”

She sighed, growing tired of hearing those words directed at her. “I’m fine.” She sniffled and sneezed, directly contradicting her words.

Marinette didn’t notice Nino’s concerned gaze following her as she made her way up to her seat behind him, but his worry did not escape her best friend’s attention. “He’s right, Marinette.” Alya scanned her with a withering gaze, not even attempting to hide her disapproval. “You look even worse than you did yesterday, girl. Didn’t you listen to me?”

"Of course I did... it's just..."

"Just what?" Alya scowled at her, hands on her hips. "What could possibly be more important than taking care of yourself, girl?"

Mrs. Bustier’s sharp call for attention blissfully saved Marinette from having to respond. As the school day dragged on, Marinette’s headache only grew worse. Throughout the day, she was seized by multiple coughing and sneezing fits and twice she was threatened with being sent to the principal's office for not paying attention. Hard as she tried, concepts flew over her head.

Still feeling nauseous, she skipped lunch in favor of remaining on a school bench with her knees hugged to her chest. But in the middle of the lunch break, her friends, namely Alya and Nino, tried to convince her to go home. To her surprise and delight, even Adrien showed up, returning to school early just to come and talk to her. However, no attempts by her friends proved successful; she steadfastly refused to leave.

Despite their concerns, she knew it would be harder to make up her work later when all her responsibilities would pile up. None of them knew all that she had to do - she couldn't very well tell them that she was Ladybug - so none of them understood why she _needed_ to stay.

After what seemed like far too long a day, Marinette shuffled down the steps of Françoise Dupont High School, her head hammering. Every step took all of her willpower - the room was spinning around her, and Marinette was clumsy enough without any additional factors slowing her down.

With one last shuddering step, Marinette exited the school. Unfortunately she lost her balance and was about to fall on her face when hands gripped her shoulders and strong arms helped steady her.

She reached out and grasped the unknown helper’s shoulders in turn, taking a deep breath and squeezing her eyes shut in a last-ditch effort to rid herself of the intense pain and dizziness she was feeling. She focused on the shoes she saw below - red and white tennis shoes - and, after a few seconds, she realized that she knew the owner of those shoes. In fact, she knew the owner of the shoes so well that she used to have his entire schedule memorized.

Marinette looked up into those emerald green eyes she so often got lost in, and she sighed, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Hi, Adrien.”

“Hey, Marinette.” The blonde’s eyebrows were creased with worry. “Are you alright?”          

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

 

Adrien had never seen someone so sick stubbornly refuse to accept their illness. Tired from near constant fighting of akumas, he had collapsed into his own bed the previous night, shortly after returning home. It was with a refreshed energy that he returned to school, albeit slightly late because he’d needed time to complete his school work, but he noticed Marinette’s illness immediately.

Ever since she had confessed her love to him, the Chat Noir version of him, and he’d had to reject her, Adrien made a special point to check on Marinette and make sure she was okay. On this day, she clearly was not. When he entered, he noticed Alya whispering something to her best friend in annoyance. Marinette turned her head toward the front of the class in response, and that's when Adrien saw her face.

There were deep bags under her eyes, and she was holding her head up with her hands as if she was unable to keep herself upright otherwise. Her entire body was slumped in her chair, and nose was red and irritated. Her hair, normally pulled into neat pigtails, was loose, messy, and unkempt.  

“Hey, Adrien,” Nino called, forcing the blonde’s attention away from his sick friend. “Get over here, dude, before Mrs. Bustier starts class and notices you’re late.”

His friend proved to be right. As soon as his butt slid into his chair, Mrs. Bustier requested all her students attention. Despite Adrien’s desire to pay attention, his thoughts kept drifting back to Marinette. He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder at her, but, while Mrs. Bustier was busy helping students with individual work later in the day, Adrien nudged Nino with his shoulder.

“What’s wrong with Marinette?” he whispered, his unease evident.

Nino scoffed, not-so-stealthy stealing a glance at the girl in question, whose head was buried in her tablet, her eyes scrunched in concentration. “Dude says she’s fine, but we all know that something’s up. Alya’s already texted me about trying to convince her to stay at home after lunch.”

“Good idea,” Adrien offered, slightly reassured.

“Yeah,” Nino muttered, more to himself than Adrien, “But what else can you expect from my amazing girlfriend?”

Adrien rolled his eyes and returned to his work, hoping that Marinette would listen to reason.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

 

She _wasn’t_ listening. Although she was practically curled into a ball, her knees clenched in pain, she stubbornly continued to insist that nothing was wrong.

“Marinette, you at least have to eat something,” Alya was saying as Adrien approached his three friends.

The girl in question pushed away Alya’s offer of soup on a tray outstretched before her. Alya had taken it from the lunch room, where she and Nino had eaten. Marinette had noticeably been absent from the meal, and so Nino had called Adrien, requesting that he return to school from home earlier than normal to try and help convince her she needed to go home.    

“Honestly, Alya, I’m fine,” Marinette said weakly, massaging the sides of her head. As if to prove her point, she stretched out her legs and straightened her back. The act was hardly convincing. Noticing Adrien nearing, she sent him a small smile, but she offered no words of greeting.  

Her best friend put her hands on her hips, pressing the soup bowl back in her Marinette’s direction. Her choice of dish did not go unnoticed by Adrien - soup, the ultimate get-better food. “What have you eaten today?” Alya questioned using her best reporter voice. Despite her overall intensity, Adrien couldn’t help but see the desperation in her eyes.   

Instead of answering, Marinette turned away from the food, clutching her stomach. Adrien and Nino exchanged worried glances as she doubled over in yet another coughing fit.

Dejectedly, Alya placed the tray with the bowl of soup in front of Marinette, as if it being nearby would somehow tempt her friend into eating. “I’m leaving this here if you need it, girl.”

Marinette turned her weak smile towards her best friend. “Thank you, but I won’t.” Despite her weak voice, she spoke with such finality. Her obstinacy would be almost be impressive had Adrien not been so concerned for her well-being.

Turning away from Marinette in defeat, Alya finally realized Adrien had arrived. Her scowl dimmed but only slightly. “Hey, Agreste, maybe you can talk some sense into her. Make her listen to _reason_.” This last word was said towards Marinette, the inspiring reporter’s voice dripping with accusation.

Adrien watched as Nino wrapped a comforting arm around his girlfriend and steered her away from the bench. The two of them walked back towards the school, holding hands. Their nervous glances behind them at the sickly Marinette did not go unnoticed by Adrien.

After he watched his friends depart, Adrien turned his attention back to Marinette. He winced at the sight of her, seemingly growing worse by the second. She was now lying on her side on the bench, her knees tight to her chest, her eyes closed, and her hair messily strewn out around her, covering her face.

Tentatively, Adrien approached the bench, sitting at the empty end by Marinette’s head, careful not to step in her soup or sit on her hair.

“You know, Marinette, if you’re really feeling sick-”

He heard her suck in a deep gasp of air, the sound muffled beneath the wall of hair. “I’m fine, Adrien, really. Thank you for worrying about me, that’s so sweet of you.” She paused and coughed violently, making Adrien wince. “I’d rather just stay here, if you don’t mind.”

He couldn’t understand why she was refusing to go home or even admit she was sick, but he figured he would take one more shot at convincing her to take care of herself.

“Marinette,” he said gently. “Would you mind telling me why you don’t want to go home?”

She opened her eyes, turning to look up at him weakly, her back flat against the bench. It was funny time to notice such things - maybe he’d never studied her this closely before - but Adrien had never realized how blue they were. They looked so familiar to him… they reminded him of… _someone_. He couldn’t quite place who.

“It’s not that I don't want to go home,” Marinette began with a sniffle. “Nothing’s wrong with my home, my parents are amazing and they’re actually very supportive considering…” her voice trailed off, although whether it was from sickness or she was just lost in thought, Adrien couldn’t tell.

“Anyways,” she continued after a moment. “It’s not because of home, it’s because I’m needed here. I’ve got responsibilities... I can’t afford to miss anymore class if I can help it. And I _can_ help it.” Adrien watched as she shuddered next to him, still defiant in spite of her pain.

Slightly frustrated by his inability to see his friends face, Adrien leaned over and gently moved a few strands of dark wavy hair out of her face. Marinette stiffened at his touch, but she didn’t protest; however, Adrien did notice that her face felt warm, warmer than it should be.

“Marinette, if you feel sick, that’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for missing class.”

“No, it’s not,” she protested, her voice noticeably growing hoarse. “Besides… I’m not sick. I can’t afford to be sick right now.” As if to disprove herself, Marinette burst into a fit of sneezing.  

Adrien sighed. For someone he knew to be so intelligent and compassionate, she really could be quite hard-headed. “If you say so.” He made a move to leave, but she grabbed his arm, stopping him. Her fingers were freezing to the touch.

“Adrien, if you don’t mind, that is… if you’ve already eaten... I wouldn’t want to make you miss lunch or anything..”

He patiently waited for Marinette to finish her rambling, as was custom, but she seemed to be too flustered to continue. “I’ve already eaten,” he offered gently, hoping it might ease her nerves.

“Would you… I mean… if it’s not too much trouble… would you mind… nevermind.” Marinette let go of his arm as suddenly as she’d grabbed it.

Instead of leaving, Adrien sat back down. “What is it, Marinette?”

“It’s silly,” she said, her hoarse voice barely above a whisper, which Adrien had a feeling was not by choice.

He smiled at her despite himself. “I’m sure it’s not silly. You can ask me anything you want, Marinette.” It was the least he could offer a sick friend in need.

“Well… could you… sit here with me?” she asked tentatively, quickly adding, “But only if you want and only until the lunch break is over, of course?”

Adrien could feel his cheeks heat at the flattering request. “Of course… on one condition…”

“What is it?”

He leaned down and picked up the tray Alya had left moments ago. “How about you share some of this delicious smelling soup with me?”

Marinette let out a weak laugh. “Delicious,” she wheezed, “might be a stretch.”

In an effort to convince her, Adrien picked up the spoon and ladled a generous amount in his own mouth, ignoring the heat even as the liquid burned his tongue.

She was right - delicious was definitely an exaggeration, but he pretended as such to compel his friend to eat. “Mmmmm,” he moaned. “Just as good as it smells.”

“You are such a faker,” Marinette accused him, but she still slowly sat up to oblige him.

Adrien smiled, satisfied by her response and somewhat impressed by her growing boldness. She’d never been so open with him before, but maybe her illness had overcome her shyness.

With shaky hands, Marinette reached to take the spoon from him, but he clicked his tongue to stop her. “Here. I’ve got it.” He dipped the spoon into the soup and held it out towards her.

Marinette’s eyes flashed with annoyance, an emotion he’d rarely her have. Certainly never directed at him. “I don’t need to be fed. I’m not a child.” Her scowl deepened. “And I’m not sick either. I’m just… not hungry.”

“Right…” Adrien said dubiously, but he allowed her to seize the spoon from him. She spilled some, her hands shaky. However, most of the spoonful still managed to make its way way into her mouth. He kept a watchful eye on her as she swallowed it, shuddering slightly.

“Not too hot for you?” Adrien asked. “Because I could probably-”

“It’s fine,” his friend insisted. She wheezed in a deep breath, probably unaware how tightly she was clenching her fist around his knee. Yet again, he was impressed by her - she was far stronger than she looked. “I’m just…”

“Not hungry?” he supplied cheekily.

“ _Yes_.” She winced, gritting her teeth. “Not hungry.”

Adrien noticed she was starting to sweat, little beads forming on her forehead. “Have a few more spoonfuls,” he suggested somewhat forcefully, not bothering to mask his concern.

She chuckled, the sound hollow and grating against his ears. “I… I thought we were supposed to be sharing,” she murmured. She spoke with such slowness - it was clear that talking was growing more difficult for her.

He absentmindedly swept more strands of hair out of her eyes, frowning as he they stuck to forehead due to the growing amount of sweat. “You need it more than I do; like I said before, I’ve already had my lunch.”

Marinette said nothing in response, obediently lifting the spoon, filled once more, to her lips. He didn’t voice his true reason he didn’t want to share the soup with her. He was concerned about catching her illness. Adrien had a duty to his friend Marinette, but Chat Noir had an even greater duty to Paris to try and remain healthy enough to fight Hawkmoth. If he could avoid getting sick while still helping Marinette - what kind of hero would he be if he just let a friend in need suffer when he could help her - he an obligation to do so.

Plagg had warned him as such. “Your friend Marinette is sick?” the kwami had questioned when Adrien told him why they needed to leave.

“Yes,” Adrien said, pulling his phone into his pocket after receiving Nino’s frantic texts. “But she’s refusing to go home and rest or admit that’s sick.”

The god of destruction groaned, moaning dramatically. “That’s not good.”

“I know.” Adrien grabbed his school bag and started heading for the door. He’d have to convince his bodyguard to take him to school earlier than normal, which could prove difficult… but it would be well worth it if he could somehow help Marinette.

“No… Adrien… maybe you shouldn’t go,” Plagg blurted.

“What?” He shot towards his kwami in utter shock. “I can’t just abandon-”

“Chat Noir can’t afford to get sick. Especially because…” The kwami glanced at his master nervously, although Adrien couldn’t imagine why he looked so scared. “Paris needs you, Adrien.” The tiny god of destruction had grown suddenly serious, staring down his owner with determination.

“Plagg, my friend needs me. Marinette was so kind to me, even after I rejected her… I owe her this at least. For breaking her heart.”

“Ugh… all this mushy stuff.” Plagg made a sour face, sticking out his tongue.

Adrien slammed his hand on the table. “This is serious. I can’t just…”

The kwami softened. “Alright, Adrien. But if you insist in putting all of Paris in danger, please be careful. Who knows what would happen if Chat Noir was out of commission?”

“Pairs will always have Ladybug.” Adrien smiled, his cheeks flushing just thinking about his partner. “If I get sick, Ladybug will still be there to save the day.”

Plagg winced. “Right. Ladybug.”

Adrien was already at the door, gesturing for his kwami to follow. “Let’s go, Plagg. We’re already late enough as it is.”

Grumbling about the cheese he’d better get when they returned home, the Kwami slipped into Adrien’s pocket.

After begging The Gorilla, his bodyguard and chauffeur, to take him to school, Adrien had arrived, bursting out the car door. Upon reaching the outdoor corridor, he immediately ran towards his friends, when-

The warning bell rang, jarring Adrien from his thoughts. Shuddering, Marinette staggered to her feet. “Gotta get back to class,” she muttered, stubbornly continuing her slow trek towards the school building. “You coming?”

Adrien hesitated, hating to see his friend in such great pain. “Marinette-”

“I’m fine,” she insisted for the umpteenth time.

Shaking his head, Adrien gathered the tray she had left behind - the soup still barely touched - and followed her.

As the day wore on, Adrien tried to concentrate on his work, he really did, but he kept sending distracted glances behind him at Marinette. It did not escape his notice that many of his classmates were doing the same, sending not-so-covert glimpses to their sick friend when she was not looking.

By the end of the day, Marinette was slumped over her tablet, constantly sneezing and coughing; she’s gotten in trouble multiple times for failing to pay attention.

After school was over, Adrien was waiting for his bodyguard to pick him up, and it was no surprise to him when he saw Marinette stagger down the steps, minutes later than she normally did.

As soon as he realized she was losing her balance, Adrien raced towards her, just barely catching her shoulders before she fell. He heard her wheeze in a few deep breaths, staring at the ground below her. Then she looked up, her sapphire blue eyes red-rimmed, full of exhaustion and pain.

“Hi, Adrien.” His friends cheeks were flushed, and he could feel her extreme heat through her shirt.   

“Hey, Marinette.” Adrien narrowed his eyes at his friend, scanning her for injuries. “Are you alright?”

She was hanging onto him for dear life. “Fine,” she repeated somewhat snippily, pulling herself to her feet using him for support. Taking another step, she stumbled again, and Adrien lunged to catch her.

“No you’re not.” Supporting her back with one hand, he leaned forward and pressed his other hand to her forehead. It was hot to the touch. _Burning_ hot. He couldn’t believe she was still standing with that kind of temperature. He shook his head ruefully. “Let’s get you home.” Adrien, noticing his father’s car pull up to the school, waved his bodyguard over to the curb. “We’ll give you a ride.”  

With surprising strength, Marinette pushed him off her. He staggered back, astounded by her stubborn resolve. “That’s too much trouble, Adrien. My… my house is right…” She pointed unsteadily, her hand swaying back and forth, to her parents’ bakery. “Across the street.”

Adrien held back his scowl as Marinette started to lurch toward her home, completely ignoring him. She wasn’t watching where she was going, and Adrien feared that she was going to wander into traffic and get hurt. He marched in front of her, putting his hand out to stop her. “At least let me walk you to your door.”

If it were possible, Marinette turned even redder at the suggestion. “Adrien…”

“I’m not taking no for an answer.” Before she could argue with him, Adrien gently grabbed her shoulder and started to slowly steer her in a more direct path, supporting her so she wouldn’t fall again.

“You don’t have… to do this… I’m-”

“Fine?” Adrien stifled a sarcastic chuckle. “Yeah, I’ve heard.”

In a few minutes, Adrien had escorted Marinette to her door with minimal difficulty. “Drink lots of fluids,” he said, repeating the advice his mother had given him when he was sick as a child. “And get some rest.”

He was just about to knock on the door when an explosion rocked the city from a distance. An akuma attack.

Adrien looked in the direction of the crash, seeing a wave of purple energy shoot into the sky. His head shot back toward Marinette, who was leaning on him for support, wheezing from the effort of the walk. He couldn’t very well leave her alone right now. She _needed_ him. He mentally shrugged. Ladybug could handle protecting Paris herself for a few minutes without him.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response. He knocked again, more insistently, feeling his impatience rise. “Marinette, are your parents home?”

Next to him, Marinette burst into another coughing fit. “No *cough* baking competition *cough* not in Paris *cough* not *cough* not home.”

Adrien frowned. In order to get to his lady quickly, he was going to have to do something… fast. He directed his attention back toward the sound of a second explosion and subsequent flash of purple.  

Unbeknownst to him, Marinette leaned over and stuck her key in the lock, forcing the door open with a jolt. She collapsed to the ground in a heap. “Oof.”

“Oh my goodness, Marinette!” Adrien gasped, hating to see her in such a state. He felt incredibly guilty at not being able to convince her to go home and rest earlier. “Are you okay? No broken bones?”

“Mmmmph,” Marinette moaned from her position in the doorway. Adrien crouched down and helped her to a sitting position, bracing the back of her head with his hand. Even that was now dangerously hot.

Stubbornly, she pushed his hand away and stood, sniffling. “Adrien, I’m fine. You need to get home before your dad starts to worry.”

“Are you sure-”

“Please, Adrien. I need you... to be safe.”

He thought that was a weird thing for her to say, but could see the desperation in her eyes and that, plus the small kwami squirming impatiently in his pocket, were the only reasons he was willing to leave her alone.

Adrien headed toward the door, casting one last glance back at her while she leaned against the stairs. He wished he didn’t have to abandon her, but this was an emergency, and Paris needed him too. “ _Please_ get some rest, okay?”

“You too… err… I mean, sure, Adrien.”

With that, Adrien raced outside, heading for a place to hide.

“Are you finished, loverboy?” Plagg flew out of his pocket, glaring as he floating alongside him.

“She’s just a friend,” Adrien protested. He spotted an alley and ran toward it.  

His kwami rolled his eyes in response. “Sure,” he said dubiously. “Shouldn’t we getting to the battle now?”  

“You’re right. Let’s do this. Plagg, claws out!” In a flash, he was transformed and sprinting towards the akumatized victim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first fanfic I've ever written, the first idea I've ever had that I thought was worthy to share with other people. I know there will be at least one more chapter after this, but I'm not sure if there will be any more. I REALLY hope at least one person will enjoy this, but I'm slightly terrified that I'm posting this into a void where it will be unseen (AHHHH I can't believe I'm doing this!!!). Any kudos, comment, suggestion, and/or question will be greatly appreciated! :)


	2. With Great Illness Comes Great Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so... I was planning to update this a lot more regularly, but school started again and that plan went right about the window. Sorry about that.
> 
> Anyway, I now have an entire plan for how I want this story to go, but I'm not sure if I'm going to continue writing after this chapter. I hope to, but I don't want to put too much on my plate at a time. 
> 
> That being said, I really hope y'all enjoy this chapter! I tried to put some good angst and fluff in it. :)

As soon as Adrien left, Tikki flew out of Marinette’s bag, which has been abandoned on the ground when she’d fallen.

Marinette blinked as her kwami came into focus. “There’s been another akumatization.”

“I know, Marinette… but are you sure you’re well enough to-”

“Who else is there?” Marinette snapped, her voice croaking. “Paris needs me.”

The kwami nervously picked at her antennae. “I know that, but you know that you can rely on Chat Noir, right?”

“He can’t purify akumas. I’m the only one who can do this.”  

“Marinette-”

Her owner continued to ignore and interrupt her. “Enough talking! It’s time for action; Tikki, spots on!”

Enveloped in magic, she found her painful headache eased but not gone completely. Thankful for the renewed strength the suit gave her, Ladybug quickly rushed out her door and towards the danger. She was only running for a few blocks before she stumbled right into the akuma itself.

With glowing purple hair, he was well dressed, decked out in a formal suit, a shimmering purple cape billowing out behind him. Despite towering over her, the boy was clearly only a child, his baby-ish face overwhelmed by a devious smile.

“Oh, Ladybug! So glad you were able to make it to the show!” the akuma snarled. I was beginning to think this was going to be a solo act.” From her position on the ground, Ladybug scanned the victim for where the akuma could be hiding. In his left hand, he was holding a old-fashioned top hat, in his right, a black and white magic wand. These were both potential targets, hidden nests where akumas could be tucked away.

Overwhelmed by her illness, her dizziness growing steadily since she’d transformed, Ladybug could do nothing but stare at the villian, who took the opportunity to attack while she was distracted, “Presto!”

Almost too slowly, Ladybug dove to avoid a blast of purple magic. She lunged at the boy, hoping to restrain him with her yo-yo, but the villain effortlessly flew out of her reach, leaving a trail of purple sparkles in his wake.

“My Lady!” Cat Noir shouted from his perch on a nearby building. “So glad you’re here. I was beginning to think Abra Kadabra here made you disappear.” He vaulted towards the two of them, attempting to grab the hat in his hand, but again, the villain swiftly dodged.

“What can this magician do?” Ladybug demanded, rolling away from her partner. Again, it was almost too slow an action, the purple blast of energy nearly missing her.

“A magician never reveals his secrets,” the villain taunted, ignoring Cat Noir and floating toward her, cornering her in front of a building. She didn’t know what to do - she didn’t want to risk breaking either object without knowing where the akuma was truly located, and it was dangerous to attack an akuma without knowing his abilities.  

“Now be a good magician’s assistant and give me your miraculous.” The villain inched closer and closer, intimidating despite his small size. Ladybug could feel her panic as well as her inner temperature rising. The world began to swirl at the edge of her vision. Abra Kadabra grinned viciously, as if he could sense her consciousness wavering. He raised his magic wand in her direction, and Ladybug shut her eyes, ashamed at her failure. All day she’d tried to do what was right for her city, only to let her people down when it really mattered.

An instant before the magic reached her, her partner tackled her to the ground. “Watch out, Bugaboo!” Ever loyal and dependent, he vaulted the two of them out of danger with ease.

She was seized by a coughing fit in his arms, but thankfully he didn’t drop her. “Don’t *cough* call me, *cough* Bugaboo!”

Cat Noir set her down on a building across the street, a great vantage point of the villain below. He spent a few seconds watching the boy, whose face was surrounded by a purple mask as Hawk Moth barked orders at him. Ladybug took advantage of her partner’s distraction, bending down and wheezing to catch her breath, allowing herself to feel her exhaustion. She only had a few seconds of bliss before Cat Noir shifted his attention towards her. His green eyes were full of concern. “My Lady? Is everything-”

She interrupted him by sneezing violently, ignoring his trepidation as she spoke. “What are his powers?”

“Abra Kadabra? He can fly super fast and the blasts from his magic wand make people disappear… I don’t know where… Duck!” The cat-themed hero pushed his partner to her knees to avoid another blast.

In spite of her aching head, Ladybug shot to her feet and began to spin her yo-yo to form a shield around the two of them.

“They thought my magic tricks were lame. But they’ll all be sorry, especially when I make their precious superheroes disappear!”

Ever the quick thinker, even when she was ill, Ladybug sprang into action. “Cat Noir, you *cough* distract him while I *cough cough* try my luck with *cough* my lucky *cough* charm.”

“Just say the magic words and I’ll be yours, My Lady.” Her partner frowned, hesitating for a few seconds longer than she would have liked before obediently diving off the building, calling out cat-themed taunts to the magician.

She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to chase away her dizziness and pain. Unable to make any real progress, she thrust her yo-yo into the air. “Lucky Charm!”

Something in her voice broke when she yelled and, to her horror, using the magic sapped her of her last-remaining strength, something that never happened before in her years as a miraculous-holder. She sank to her knees, barely able to catch the gift that sprang from her yo-yo. Her eyes narrowed in confusion as she fingered what she thought was a red and black polka-dotted candy wrapper. What was she supposed to do with that?

_Think, Marinette_ , she ordered herself. But it was growing harder and harder to do so, her body becoming a furnace in which only she could cook. Already on her knees, she braced herself against the building’s edge, dangerously teetering as the world swam before her eyes, the only sound a piercing ringing in her ears, and… her partner. She didn’t know when he had arrived, but now he was by her side, a blur of black and gold, looking fuzzier and fuzzier by the second.

He was saying something she couldn’t hear over the white noise. His hand was moving… _pointing_ she suddenly realized, but at what? _The akuma!_ She needed… she needed to purify it. With great slowness, she launched her yo-yo into the air. Thankfully it seemed to do most of the job for her, snatching a dark purple blob out of the air in a flash of pink.

After barely catching her falling yo-yo, she saw the white butterfly emerge a few seconds made her sink lower, sitting back on her haunches. But… it still seemed she was forgetting something. Her kitty was blurring even faster, making her head pound all the harder. He was trying to tell her something, something important, but _what_? His voice was muffled, struggling to rise above this fog she was stuck in.

Drowning, she desperately tried to pull her conscious back to the surface. _C’mon, Marinette_. _Focus_. _Paris needs you. You can’t let your Pariseans down_. She coughed as she pressed her hands to the sides of her head to try and help herself concentrate, only to feel something hard in her one hand… the candy! Her lucky charm… she hadn’t _used it_.

She coughed again and then slowly reached toward the candy in her hand, attempting to peel the wrapper off. Her fingers felt thick and bumbling; she couldn’t. A blur of black in her vision, and the red drop was exposed. She stared at it, sniffling, unsure of what to do, everything so fuzzy and confusing.  

He was still a blur when she looked at him. Which meant he was still moving - he was still trying to talk to her. She needed to listen more, she needed to listen harder, she needed to listen with everything she had left.

She strained to hear him, only making out a few words here and there. “Lady ... you … yell … need … back … normal.”

Normal? Normal… she needed to make everything right; she was the only person who could. She cleared her throat. She tried to shout, she tried to say anything at all, but all she managed was a painful quack of a strangled duck. Panic seized her. She clutched her throat, searching for what she had lost, but her voice was gone, only a hoarse croak remained.

Reaching out to him, she tried to tell him what was wrong, she tried desperately to communicate anything. She blinked, searching for his green eyes to see if he understood, but quicker than she could register, in a blur of black, the candy was in her mouth.

In spite of the state she was in, she sensed his need for urgency and after a few soothing seconds, she spit it into her palm and threw it in the air, forcing a hoarse, “Miraculous Ladybug!” to rise from her wretched mouth.

The instant she noticed the fuzzy explosion of pink, she looked across her and finally found those green spotlights. He was safe. The city was safe. Relief flooded through her, and she finally allowed her exhaustion and heat to consume her.

 

………………………………………………

 

He hadn’t noticed she was acting strange, at least, not at first. He was still kicking himself for not being able to arrive faster. The akuma, the little boy shouting that his name was Abra Kadabra with a sickening smile, had already made the majority of the passerby on the street vanish. He would aim his magic wand at some screaming civilian, and yell, “Presto!” Then his victims disappeared in a poof of smoke. Cat Noir took all this in for a few seconds before springing into action.

His hat and his wand were the two most obvious targets; Cat Noir needed to steal them to release the poisoned akuma inside. The hero propelled himself towards the villain, foregoing all thoughts but to save the remaining bystanders from obliteration. With great speed the akuma plunged downward to avoid him. Cat Noir swiftly dodged Abra Kadabra’s blasts, shouting at all the people to remaining in the vicinity to run and that he would “purr-tect” them at all costs.

Catapulting himself to the top of a building to escape the blasts, Cat Noir saw his lady as soon as she arrived. She raced to join him, but stopped when confronted by the villian.

“Oh, Ladybug! So glad you were able to make it to the show!” Cat Noir shivered upon hearing the menace in the boy’s voice. “I was beginning to think this was going to be a solo act.”

Instead of attacking, she stood still, frozen, staring. Even seeing her this way, he had no idea anything was wrong. As expected, she dove away as the akuma attacked, and although she was moving slower than normal, Cat Noir didn’t notice.

He watched as she leaped into the air and thrust her yo-yo in the villain’s direction, but the boy dodged, soaring into the air awash in shimmering purple.

“My Lady!” he yelled to grab her attention. “So glad you’re here. I was beginning to think Abra Kadabra here made you disappear.” In a split second, he decided to grab the hat instead of the wand, as the hat would probably be held with less hard a grip. But as he leapt for the potentially akumatized object, the villain quickly flew away, and Cat Noir had to roll so he wouldn’t injure himself upon impact.

His partner also rolled away to avoid further blasts. She called out, asking him what the abilities of this new akuma were.

He started to answer, he but was interrupted as the villain mocked them. “A magician never reveals his secrets.” He started to inch closer to her, sinisterly approaching as Ladybug unwittingly pressed herself against a building. She was trapped.

Overwhelmed by a fierce desire to protect her, he didn’t hear what the villain shouted next. He kept his focus on his lady, whose bluebell eyes were filled with fear. Then, suddenly, she closed them. That was when he knew something was wrong - the Ladybug he knew would never give up so easily.

He launched himself at her, tackling her as he shouted, “Watch out, Bugaboo!” She still seemed dazed, so he wrapped an arm around her and used his baton to propel them out of the way of the magician’s magic.

Shivering through a coughing fit, she countered, “Don’t *cough* call me, *cough* Bugaboo!”

Soaring to a building on the opposite side of the street, Cat Noir glanced at the akuma, ensuring the boy was distracted conversing with Hawk Mouth before turning his head toward his partner. She was hunched over and wheezing, completely out of breath even though they’d only been fighting for a few minutes. He had never seen this weakness, this humanity in her, especially one not driven by the attack of an akuma. “My Lady? Is everything-”

Instead of answering, she sneezed in rapid succession, effectively cutting him off. “What are his powers?” she managed after the convulsions stopped.

He was relaying this information when he noticed the akuma’s conversation with Hawk Moth end abruptly. Abrakadabra glared at them, soaring toward them and sending purple blasts in their direction. “Duck!” he shouted, forcing his partner to do just that.

In order to protect them, Ladybug stood and spun her yo-yo to deflect the akuma’s shots. They both listened to the villian rambling, but Cat Noir had his ear turned towards Ladybug, waiting to hear what his partner would say. “Cat Noir, you *cough* distract him while I *cough cough* try my luck with *cough* my lucky *cough* charm.”

“Just say the magic words and I’ll be yours, My Lady.” Although he spoke of obeying her, Cat Noir didn’t immediately move to follow out her commands. He let his gaze linger on her, narrowing his eyes in concern. Her cheeks were pinker than normal, her hair slicked back with sweat, and she was stooped over, no longer proud and tall.

Seeing her this way scared him. She appeared to have caught the bug that was spreading around the city; it had claimed two of his friends today. But he didn’t have time to worry right now, and so, after a few precious moments, he dutifully did as she had asked him.

He sprang at the villian, hoping to keep him annoyed and off balance. “I’m feline good, Abra Kadra, you wanna know why?”

“Because pretty soon you won’t have to deal with that pesky miraculous!” the villain answered, still easily avoiding his onslaught of attacks.

“No because I’m paw-sitive you’re going down!” With more speed than he even realized he had, he summoned his cataclysm power and grabbed the top hat, destroying it in an instant.

The villain wailed in despair as the purple butterfly was released. Cat Noir stared at it in shock. He’d just done that all on his own. But he had little time to revel in his success, for the villian, now a chubby-cheeked little boy dressed as a magician sans the hat, plummeted to the ground. He caught the kid in his arms.

“Wha… what happened?” the boy asked, rubbing his eyes.

He set boy down beside him, making sure he was steady before removing his hand from the his shoulder. Cat Noir rubbed the boy’s head, his purple hair transformed into a bright red mop. “You were akumatized. You’re safe now.”

The boy frowned. “But where is everyone?”

Cat Noir scanned the surrounding area, still scattered with purple craters. None of the people had reappeared. His eyes darted upward towards his partner, whose body was teetering dangerously on the edge of the building above him. The akuma remained unpurified, floating higher and higher, but Ladybug made no move to stop it from flying away entirely.

He gripped the boy’s shoulder, trying to quell the terror in his eyes. “Stay here. And don’t worry. Ladybug will put everything back to normal. She always does.”

Vaulting himself to the building on which his partner stood, he gently pulled her away from the edge. “Ladybug, what’s happening? You need to catch the akuma and purify it!” He pointed toward the butterfly in the sky, growing smaller as it moved to the edge of his sightlines.

She stared at him without recognition, her blue eyes glazed over. Turning, her head followed his finger, and with a start, she seemed to realize what the problem was. She thrust her yo-yo in the air, and it magically stretched despite her lack of strength in throwing it, engulfing the butterfly.

Cat Noir watched as Ladybug released the purified akuma. She staggered backward as if the effort had drained her, but made no move to reverse the damage. His ring beeped its first warning. Only four minutes left. Plenty of time, if only she showed some amount of urgency.

He waved a hand in front of her face. “Ladybug, what’s wrong? Ladybug, can you hear me? Ladybug! Ladybug!” Gesturing and pacing in front of her, he heard her earings beep as well, further increasing his need for speed, but nothing seemed to get her to respond.

It took her awhile, but the glazed look in her eyes slightly lessened, only to be replaced by one of frustration and despair. In a coughing fit, he watched he press her hands up against her ears. Recognition dawned on her face. Still coughing, she slowly removed her hands from the sides of her head revealing a cough drop covered in a red and black spotted wrapper.

Cat Noir’s concern deepened as he watched her try to peel the wrapper off, but her fingers were slow and fumbling. Very gently, he removed it for her, replacing the drop on her open palm. Her nose running, his partner simply stared at it, her eyes again growing glazed and unsure.

When she looked up at him, he couldn’t help but wince. Even behind the mask, her eyes were red-rimmed, crunched in pain and confusion. His ring beeped again, and he jumped.

“My Lady, you need to hurry.” She simply sniffled in response, no sign that she’d heard him.

“Ladybug! Ladybug! Can you hear me? Please hurry, we’re almost out of time. You need to yell Miraculous Ladybug. You need to set everything back to normal.”

This seemed to snap her back into consciousness. Clearing her throat, she let out a pitiful croak. She squealed and groaned and coughed, but she made no intelligible noise. She gripped her throat, face filled with horror.  

He grabbed her by the shoulder, suddenly realizing how the lucky charm needed to be used. “It’s alright! Just use the cough drop.”

Reaching out to him with one hand, she looked at him, and it was clear she didn’t understand. As she blinked, he took the cough drop from her other hand and popped it into her mouth.

Her earings beeped again. Impatiently, he watched for a few seconds as she sucked on the drop before she spit it into her hand. Weakly she threw it into the air, and, somehow, pushing through her illness, she managed to call out, “Miraculous Ladybug!”

Cat Noir breathed a sigh of relief as he let the entourage of pink ladybugs overwhelm him. He couldn’t help but grin as he saw people reappear on the streets. In fact, he was so busy making sure the little boy was reunited with his parents that he didn’t notice Ladybug collapse in a heap beside him.

After a few moments, he looked back at her and gasped. “My Lady!” Immediately, he rushed to her side and checked her pulse. Relief washed over him in waves. She was still breathing. Which meant she was still alive. At least, for now.

Then he quickly scanned her for injuries, growing more and more concerned as yet another chirp of both their miraculouses sounded off. In those precious seconds, he noticed a growing knot where she’d fallen on the back of her head, which, like Marinette’s had been before, was unbearably hot.

He pulled on his cat ears in desperation, his tail involuntarily flicking behind him. What was he going to do? What could he do? If he stayed any longer, he risked revealing their identities. But, if he took her anywhere, he would go against his wishes. As much as he desired to learn who the love of his life was, he didn’t want to betray her trust.

He racked his brain, pacing as the passing of time setting him on edge. He nearly jumped as his ring beeped again, his final warning. One paw, one minute was left. He needed to act. Now. Scooping her up in his arms, he catapulted himself and his partner towards the closest safe place he knew.

“Hold on, Bugaboo,” he whispered to her, soaring towards the bakery where his friend lived, only a few blocks away from the akuma attack. Her own earrings beeped a final warning as they traveled. “Hold on.”

He figured Marinette would be sleeping right now, at least she hoped so - as hard-headed as she had revealed herself to be, by now, whether she liked it or not, her body would have shut down. She should be getting some much-needed sleep. She’d said her parents weren’t home, so Cat Noir assumed he’d be safe there, no interruptions or accidental identity-reveals, at least for awhile. Of course, that didn’t solve the problem of him learning Ladybug’s identity, but he had to deal with the more pressing issue of not revealing either of their identities to all of Paris first.

Moving faster than he’d ever traveled before, Cat Noir touched down on the Dupain-Chang bakery roof mere seconds before he transformed back into Adrien. He quickly spotted a lounge chair and laid his incapacitated partner upon it, ignoring the dramatic moans of his kwami as he pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. It was scalding and sticky with sweat.

“Adrien!” his kwami whined, flying into his line of sight to demand his attention. “What are we doing here? And what’s up with Ladybug?”

The blonde-haired boy shooed the tiny god away with a wave of his hand, returning his attention to his partner. She hadn’t moved a muscle since they’d arrived. “Something’s wrong. She’s sick. _Really_ sick. She shouldn’t have fought in those conditions; it took too much out of her. She passed out as soon as she repaired all the damage.”

“Oh, okay.” Plagg shrugged nonchalantly, gesturing for Adrien to follow him as he turned away. “I guess we should head home then. Got any camembert to tide me over? I’m starving.”

This comment finally pulled Adrien’s gaze from his sickly partner. “You can’t be serious! I can’t just… leave her like this. She _needs_ me right now.”

“Okay. We’ll stay. As long as I get some cheese I’m not complaining.”

“Plagg, you can’t be _serious_! Any second, her transformation will fall apart. If I stay, I’ll learn her identity. I’ll be going against her wishes and it will be more danger-”

“Geez, kid!” The kwami crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at his owner. “Make up your mind. Stay or go, it doesn't matter to me. Just get me some delicious camembert.”

“Is that all you can think about? I’m running out of time here!” Adrien felt his breath quicken as he heard the final few beeps of warning from her miraculous, signaling she was going to transform back in the next few seconds. At the last moment, he spun on his heel so he couldn’t see her, shutting his eyes to protect them against the bright flash of light.

Adrien stared at his kwami who was looking at his partner, now no longer transformed, behind him. “Plagg, what should I _do_? If I do nothing, she’ll be disoriented and ill, not knowing where she is or how she’s going to get home, and-”

“I can’t tell you what to do, Adrien,” Plagg interrupted suddenly. “I’m sure Ladybug will understand no matter which choice you make. But I’ll tell you one thing, I don’t think waking up here will be as disorienting as you think.” The kwami had a slight smile on his face, and he made no attempt to hide it. The suspense was agonizing; the temptation to turn and look growing stronger by the second.

In a flash, a small red and back blurr flew into his gaze. Ladybug’s kwami! Of course! He’d barely has time to understand her presence when the tiny goddess spoke, her squeaky voice full of urgency.

“Help! She needs some warm blankets, she needs medicine, and she needs… help. Help I can’t give her...”

Despite the fear in her voice, Adrien hesitated. “She doesn’t want me to know who she is. I… I don’t want to betray her.”  

The little voice softened. “Adrien, you’re not betraying her. She needs _you_. I can’t do anything to help her, neither can Plagg. It has to be you.”

He gasped. “How do you.... know my name?”

“Because you know Ladybug’s name, kid,” Plagg said, his eyes flicking away from his lady’s and back to Adrien’s.

“I know her name?” Adiren’s head spun from this revelation. He was so overwhelmed by this whole situation, so conflicted and confused. He knew she was sick, but he also knew that no matter what form she was in, she was strong. Ladybug, _his lady_ , was strong. She could handle herself… right? Was it worth endangering her or potentially even losing her by learning her identity in this moment? He could picture her when she was well again, her fearsome blue eyes filled with righteous anger at his betrayal. Could he risk that anger being directed at him?

“Kid, this is serious,” Plagg’s voice warned him. “I know we can’t make this decision for you, but I think Sugar Cube’s right. She needs you.”

These words barely registered in Adiren’s ears. His head was spinning, considering all the factors in order to try and make a decision.

He couldn’t believe that he knew Ladybug in her civilian form. Ladybug… he knew Ladybug? All those nights he had wracked his brain thinking about the day he would learn his lady’s identity and meet the love of his life for the first time out of their costumes. Only to now find out he knew her all along? That wasn’t possible! How could he not recognize her? He knew her better than anyone. She was his every thought, his heart and soul, she was his… everything. How could he not _recognize_ her?

“Adrien!” Ladybug’s kwami yelled, bringing him back to reality. “Are you going to help her or not?”

The time for hesitation and indecision was over. He honestly couldn’t believe he had waited for so long. Adrien couldn’t leave her, not when she needed him. What if something happened and he wasn’t here for her? He would rather watch her spend a lifetime hating him than risk her not getting to live a lifetime at all. Steeling his nerves, Adrien turned around.

“Oh. My. God.” Marinette Dupain-Cheng lay sprawled out before him, shivering, her eyes clenched in pain.

Adrien stood still, frozen in shock. It was only both kwami’s cry for help that got his body moving again, however stunted and slow said movement was. He scooped her into his arms, taking caution in cradling her head. Although she kept shuddering, her skin was blistering to the touch, warmer than he had ever felt previously, warmer than he thought a person’s skin could possibly be, so hot that it almost hurt to touch her.

Awkwardly, he shuffled down the steps to her bedroom, the kwamis not too far behind, the little Ladybug politely requesting that he be careful, Plagg pestering him about being fed. He ignored both of them, nothing else mattered but Marinette right now.

Having reached the floor, Adrien sighed, reaching to climb yet another set of stairs to get to her bed. He laid her flat against it, pulling her comforter overtop of her to try and make her more comfortable.

“Oh, Marinette,” he whispered to her, “you really should’ve stayed home today.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead in an attempted sweet gesture, but Marinette waking up caused this action to go horribly erry.

Their heads collided with a _thunk_ , and Adrien was sent reeling backwards, flying off the ladder. His head slammed into the ground. Even though now both sides of his head were bursting with pain, he didn’t hesitate to scramble back up the ladder.

“Whaa?” Marinette croaked, only just sitting up as he finished climbing up towards her.

He brushed her hair to the side of her face, checking her forehead or any additional redness or a bump. After a quick once-over, he was pretty sure he hadn’t made anything worse, but her face was already so red from the illness it was hard to tell if she was hurt.

“You alright?” he whispered gently, cupping her face in her his hand to help keep it upright. He couldn’t help but marvel about how perfectly it fit there.  

She winced, struggling to get her bearings. “Adrien? What...? Where...? _How..._?”

He shushed her. “That doesn’t matter now. How’re you feeling? Oh, and don’t you dare tell me you feel fine.” Adrien chuckled despite himself. “I have eyes, ya know.”

“What? _Adrien…_ ” She gasped, seemingly startled and scared until she gave herself a once-over and breathed a sigh of relief. Coughing and shuddering, she shook her head as if trying to clear herself from a fog before continuing. “Adrien, how did you get in my house? For… for that matter… how did _I_ get in my house?”  

“Adrien?” Ladybug’s - Marinette’s - kwami made them both jump. The little bug was shaky in her flight, staggering under the weight of a box of cold medicine, which she delivered right into his hand. “Could you make sure Marinette takes this?” she asked weakly, a slight smile on her face. “I’m going to go get some food for Plagg and me.”

“Oh course, um… ”

“Tikki,” the kwami offered, patting his hand.

Marinette sneezed, rubbing her forehead, eyes clenched in pain. “I must be more sick that I thought… I must be seeing things.”

“C’mon, Sugar Cube, this camembert won’t eat itself!” Plagg appeared, his head popping into the room briefly, beckoning his fellow kwami to follow him.

Tikki sighed. “I have to…” She paused, floating by the door and looking at Adrien with meaning. “Please take care of her.”

“Always.”

As soon as Tikki flew away, Adrien turned his attention back to Marinette, who was sitting up and shaking her head, moaning. “Yup. I’m definitely seeing things.”

Adrien’s lip curled upward in a half-smile. “You’re not seeing things.” He gently brushed some of the hair out of her face, unable to keep his grin from growing as he realized he was looking at his lady, fully-revealed before him. “But you are sicker than you thought, young lady.”

Marinette shivered, “Whaa? What are *cough cough* t-talking *cough* about?”

He didn’t respond to her, frowning at the cold medicine in his hand, opening the box and the container, inspecting it before pouring the proper dosage into the small cup and offering it to her.

Stubborn as ever, she tried to push his hand away, tried to refuse the medicine, but he was having none of it. “No arguing now. I know you’re sick. You know you’re sick. So just take your medicine.” She looked like she was about to continue to resist, so he leaned down closer, making the two of them eye-to-eye. “ _Please_.”   

The determination in her blue eyes broke under his intense gaze. With a shaking head, she downed the red liquid, wincing at its horrible off-cherry flavor. “You’re *cough cough* lucky *cough* you’re so *cough* pretty.”   

He raised an eyebrow, trying to hold back a smirk. “I’m pretty?”

“So… pretty...” Marinette started to slump over, her consciousness fading again. “So… pretty… like a kitty…” She suddenly straightened with a start. “ _Kitty_! I *cough* left him all alone… to fight *sniffle sniffle* an akuma.” Her eyes were filled with intense fear. “I have *cough* to go help him! He *cough* he could still be out there!” She awkwardly and unskillfully struggled against the blankets which, fortunately for him, formed a sort of makeshift prison around her, pinning her down.

Grabbing her by the shoulders, he shushed her, gently but firmly holding her in place. “It’s okay. He’s okay, I promise you. Everything’s fine. Paris is safe.”

“Kitty… safe?” He felt her relax in his arms at the mere thought of Cat Noir - of _him_ \- being safe. It broke his heart to see her this way, to know that she cared about him despite her constant rejection of him.

“Of course! Safe kitty… strong kitty. He’s such a good… *cough cough* a good kitty-cat.”

“God, Marinette.” He caressed her head in his hand, rubbing a thumb against her forehead. It was as hot as ever. Adrien scowled; her fever still hadn’t broken. “Someone really needs to get some rest.”

Marinette giggled, clearly growing more delusional by the second. “Silly Adrien… no time for rest. Too *cough* too much to do… can’t… can’t *cough cough* sleep… until it’s *cough* all done.”

He shook his head in disbelief. _No wonder_ she had gotten sick. She wasn’t saving any time for taking care of herself, not even time for _sleeping_. Her dedication was admirable, but it was insane, pushing herself so hard. No one, not even Ladybug could live like that for long.  

 “Nope.” Adrien gently pushed her shoulder so she resumed lying down. “Rest now.”

She blinked up at him. Those eyes… he knew he had recognized them. They were _Ladybug’s eyes_. He was captivated by them… especially when she allowed herself to be so open and vulnerable with him. “Alright… Whatever you say… Adrien…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes slowly closed, and she drifted off to sleep.

“Goodnight, M’lady. Rest well.” For the second but more successful time that day he leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead.”

Still concerned about the intense heating radiating from her, Adrien climbed down from her bed and went in search of a washcloth. He doused it in cool water and then wrange it out to remove the excess moisture. Padding back to Marinette’s bedroom, he again climbed the ladder to her bed and sat at its edge. Occasionally, he pat her head with the damp cloth and murmured encouraging words to her, as his mother used to do for him when he was sick.

After he was finished tending to her sat down on her chaise. He wanted to watch over her, to make sure she stayed content and sleeping and that anything she needed could be provided to her. As the hours dragged on and he felt his eyelids grow heavy with exhaustion, he let his thoughts wander, finally addressing all the ways his emotions seemed to be spinning out of control.

Marinette was Ladybug. Ladybug was… _Marinette_. Marinette who was thoughtful and kind and who always went out of her way for other people, putting them before herself. Marinette who was amazingly talented, who had designed the album cover of the most famous rocker of all time, and who had won his father’s contest with a hat unlike anything he’d ever seen. Marinette, who was drop-dead gorgeous, but who cared more for her other attributes; she valued her knowledge and compassion and righteousness more than anything else. She was… indescribable both inside and outside of the mask.

Knowing who she was… that just made him love her more. But… it also made the idea of him ever getting together with her more impossible. What was he compared to her breathtaking skill and beauty? His fame and wealth, they were based on his father’s connections and decisions. He was… nothing compared to her.

He thought these self-deprecating thoughts into the early hours of the morning when he allowed his head to lean back as sleep overtook him.


End file.
